RAF EXERCISE Eastern Venture has ended successfully. This involved deployment of Typhoon FGR4s to the Far East, together with a separate tour by the Red Arrows aerobatic display team to the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
The Typhoons, from 1(F) Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, first flew to Butterworth, Malaysia, to take part in Exercise Bersama Lima from October 4 to 21 (see Typhoons Deploy to Far East under Eastern Venture, November, p6).
They then continued to Misawa Air Base, Japan, with II(AC) Squadron pilots on October 22 for Exercise Guardian North before continuing to Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, on November 5 for Exercise Invincible Shield, which ran until November 11 (see – RAF Typhoons Exercise in Japan and Korea, December, p5).
The Red Arrows’ epic tour began with departure of 12 of the team’s Hawk T1s from their base at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, on September 29. Over the following two months, the team flew 19,772 miles (89,883km), visited 18 countries and performed 41 refuelling stops before returning to Scampton on December 2. The team flew more than 20 displays and flypasts – including their first-ever visit to China (see Red Arrows and PLAAF J-20s Debut…
